National

Susan Collins Will Vote For Interior Secretary Nominee Deb Haaland. “Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) will vote to confirm interior secretary nominee Deb Haaland, making her the first GOP senator to publicly support President Joe Biden’s historic pick for the job. “After examining Representative Deb Haaland’s qualifications, reviewing her hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and meeting with her personally, I will vote to confirm her to be the Secretary of the Department of the Interior,” Collins said in a Wednesday statement first obtained by HuffPost.” [HuffPost, 3/3/21 (+)]

Reversing Trump, Interior Department Moves Swiftly on Climate Change. “As the Interior Department awaits its new secretary, the agency is already moving to lock in key parts of President Biden’s environmental agenda, particularly on oil and gas restrictions, laying the groundwork to fulfill some of the administration’s most consequential climate change promises. Representative Deb Haaland of New Mexico, Mr. Biden’s nominee to lead the department, faces a showdown vote in the Senate likely later this month, amid vocal Republican concern for her past positions against oil and gas drilling. But even without her, an agency that spent much of the past four years opening vast swaths of land to commercial exploitation has pulled an abrupt about-face.” [New York Times, 3/2/21 (+)]

Western governors want input on Biden oil and gas orders. “As the Interior Department considers changes to the federal oil and gas program, Western governors in a letter to President Biden said they should be consulted about moves that could have broad impacts on their states' economies. Soon after taking office, Biden signed an executive order that mandates a climate assessment of the federal oil and gas program, which may contemplate increased royalty payments to offset climate costs. All new auctions of drilling rights on federal lands and waters are on hold until the program review is complete.” [E&E News, 3/2/21 (=)]

Biden Officials Block Public Grazing Permits For Arsonist Ranchers Pardoned By Trump. “Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, denounced the pardon at the time and said Trump “has once again sided with lawless extremists who believe that public land does not belong to all Americans.” The Hammonds’ criminal record also includes death threats against federal officials and a 1994 arrest for trying to stop federal workers from fencing off a canal at Malheur.” [HuffPost, 3/2/21 (+)]

Murkowski seeks White House's 'attention' on Alaska's economic concerns as she weighs Biden budget pick. “Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who holds the key to President Joe Biden's nominee for budget director, is pushing the White House about some of the new administration's policies that have a direct impact on Alaska's economy, namely on energy matters, according to the second-ranking Senate Republican leader. Murkowski has been sharply critical of some of Biden's energy policies, including a moratorium on oil and gas leasing on public lands like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Among many other issues, the senator also has been working to get a road project built -- called King Cove Road -- that the Obama administration opposed because it would hurt wildlife.” [CNN, 3/2/21 (=)]

This National Park You’ve Probably Never Heard of Is One of the Top 10 Most Visited. “Ohio is more than the place where national media drop into diners to interview swing state voters (because, apparently, we Ohioans are only found in diners). It’s more than a Pencil Sharpener Museum or the home of the World’s Largest Washboard—yes, those exist here. It’s also home to a robust world of outdoors recreation, like central Ohio’s Hocking Hills or the just named seventh-most-visited national park of 2020: Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Tucked away just south of Cleveland, Cuyahoga frequently gets overlooked in stories about national parks in deference to the older giants with bigger name-brand recognition, like Great Smoky Mountains National Park or Yellowstone. Of course, on a list like this, no national park can compete with Great Smoky Mountains, which has held the No. 1 slot since 1944.” [Daily Beast, 3/2/21 (+)]

State and Local

Moffat County commissioners formally oppose Biden’s 30×30 climate crisis plan. “Moffat County commissioners Donald Broom, Melody Villard and Tony Bohrer on Tuesday made official their opposition to President Joe Biden’s plan to conserve 30% of the nation’s land and water by 2030 as part of the new administration’s efforts to address climate change. The Board of County Commissioners unanimously adopted Resolution No. 2021-23, opposing the land preservation goal.” [Craig Press, 3/2/21 (-)]

Op-Ed, Editorial, and Analysis

Op-Ed: Oil, gas reform needed to protect public lands, sporting traditions. “The Biden administration has taken critical first steps to preserve our precious wildlife areas by halting all new oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters. I encourage the President to continue to listen to Montanans and build on this effort by reviewing and reforming the federal leasing system. Only then can we guarantee that our cherished public lands and wildlife are safeguarded and our time-honored traditions are passed down for generations to come.” [Missoulian, 3/2/21 (+)]

Op-Ed: Yes, Deb Haaland is a Radical. “Sound familiar? Yep, if you know anything about the cult of “deep ecology,” Earth First!, the Wildlands Project and the totally-made up “science” of “conservation biology.” In a nutshell, half the world (wet, dry and airborne) needs to be locked away from humanity so that wildlife can evolve without interference, no matter the cost to mankind. That, my frenemies, is about as radical as it gets – and so is Interior nominee Deb Haaland. “ [Flathead Beacon, 3/3/21 (-)]